The effectiveness of economic sanctions on afghanistan

[Archbob]

How effective will these sanctions be? I mean that country doesn't have much to trade to begin with, I don't think international trade(legal trade anyways) was a big part of their revenue.

 

[goodyhut]

The answer is: Not at all. You can't sanction trade that doesn't exist in the first place. Just like you can't raze buildings that have alreaddy been destroyed. Sanctions are pointless. Only thing that will work is a ground assault of our crack comandos working the the Northern Aliance.

 

[allan]

Especially, I imagine, in that part of the world--borders are rather porous, and commerce will get in in spite of embargoes.

As a rule, I generally don't like embargoes anyway, in that they are an inefficient "blunt instrument" that often ends up hurting the wrong people (poor civilians) more than the powerful, who will take all of what little commerce trickles in....